UPPER LAKE — Laytonville’s size advantage and improved shooting in the second half propelled the Warriors to a 62-46 victory in non-league varsity boys basketball action Tuesday night in Upper Lake.
It was the first loss of the season for Upper Lake (2-1) and new coach Tony Arroyo and the first win for Laytonville (1-2).
“We didn’t come out and execute what we needed to execute,” Arroyo said.
It was a tale of two halves as the Cougars held a 30-27 lead at halftime. The Warriors answered with a 35-16 second half, including a 20-6 third quarter.
“That’s when we really fell apart,” Arroyo said of the third quarter. “We came out flat.”
Meanwhile Laytonville, which managed to stay close in the first half by converting second-chance shots, finally began to heat up from the field.
“They started hitting their shots and making a good push,” Arroyo said.
The Cougars also fell into early foul trouble in the second half and Laytonville was able to capitalize at the free-throw line.
“The game was tightly officiated,” said Arroyo, who had three players foul out and three others finish with four fouls.
Upper Lake’s outside shooting game produced just two 3-point field goals.
“We just had a poor shooting night,” Arroyo said.
Dalton Slater led the Cougars with 17 points, the only Upper Lake player to score more than five.
“Laytonville played good defense in the second half. Every shot we took was under pressure. We were never able to get into a rhythm,” Arroyo said.
The Cougars can move back into the win column Fariday when they host Willits at 6:30 p.m. in the opening round of the Cougar Classic, which runs through Saturday at the Upper Lake gym. The Cougars play Potter Valley at 1 p.m. on Saturday as the tournament wraps up.
Junior varsity
In the junior varsity game Tuesday, Upper Lake improved to 3-1 on the season with a 55-38 victory over Laytonville. Sammy Avalos led all scorers with 22 points while teammates Julian Cruz and Kai Young added 12 and nine points, respectively.
Avalos scored his points in a variety of ways, according to head coach Nick Williamson.
“Fastbreaks, mid-range shots and he’s got a nasty floater,” Williamson said.
Upper Lake moved out to a quick lead thanks to a 19-point first quarter. The offense stalled a bit in the second quarter before the Cougars came back with a 28-point second half to put the game away.
“The great thing about these guys is they work hard,” Williamson said. “Slowing them down enough to do it consistently is the hardest part.”
Upper Lake opens play Friday in the Potter Valley Tournament with a 3:30 p.m. game against Potter Valley. The tournament runs through Saturday.
